Dolphin winner named California Youth of the Year
Violet Miehle, local resident and The Malibu Times Dolphin Award winner, has been awarded the Boys & Girls Club State of California Youth of the Year title, according to a press release from the Boys & Girls Club of Malibu.
Miehle earned the title out of competitors from the 604 Boys & Girls Clubs throughout the state. She will go on to compete in the Pacific Region Youth of the Year competition this summer.
Miehle was named the 2011 Boys & Girls Club Malibu Youth of the Year in February. The Malibu High School senior went on to compete against 26 other Youths of the Year from Boys & Girls Clubs throughout Los Angeles County to earn the title of Co-Los Angeles County Youth of the Year last month. After the regional event, Miehle could go on to the national competition.
Miehle has been a Boys & Girls Club member since she was in the sixth grade. She plans to go to college in the fall, the first person in her family to do so, and will study to be a special education teacher.
“The Club became my sanctuary,” Miehle said. “The Club has taught me… individualism, a good work ethic, persistence, self-sustainability, and how to overcome challenges. The Club means family to me.”
State of the City address and breakfast April 27
The Malibu State of the City address by Mayor John Sibert, featuring guest speaker Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, will take place April 27 at Malibu City Hall.
The address will discuss “how the community, local businesses and elected officials can work together toward economic vitality and the 2011 objectives and goals for Malibu,” according to a release from the Malibu Chamber of Commerce, which co-hosts the event.
The address will take place at Malibu City Hall, 23825 Stuart Ranch Rd., with check in at 8 a.m. and the program at 9 a.m., at a cost of $35. Reservations must be made by April 25 by calling 310.456.9025.
City council to consider trails map
The city’s new parkland and trails system map will be considered at the regular city council meeting Monday, according to the City of Malibu. The proposed map “reflects the most current inventory of existing and planned parkland and trails in the city since the LCP was certified by the California Coastal Commission in 2002 and demonstrates connectivity to regional trails within the Santa Monica Mountains,” the city’s release states. The map is also intended to provide new recreation and access opportunities between the mountains and the coast.
The map has been a source of contention for some residents, who complained that some proposed trails impinged on private property.
The city council will consider the map at its regular meeting, April 25, in City Hall’s council chambers, 23815 Stuart Ranch Rd., at 6:30 p.m.
Crime declines in Malibu
Overall crime rates throughout Los Angeles County, including Malibu, have declined compared to this time last year, according to a press release from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Approximately 21 fewer crimes have been committed in Malibu between the start of the year and March 31 than occurred last year. By the start of April 2010, 83 total “part one crimes” which included violent and property crimes-had been committed, while so far this year only 62 such crimes have occurred.
Criminal homicide, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault are considered violent crimes. By the end of March last year, 11 violent crimes had been committed in 2010. Between the start of the new year and March 31, seven violent crimes have been committed. Property crimes include burglary, larceny theft, grand theft auto and arson. The property crimes to date in 2010 numbered 72. So far this year, 55 property crimes have been committed.
More information about current crime statistics can be obtained on the “Crime Prevention and Information” page at www.lasd.org.
City celebrates “To Kill a Mockingbird”
The Malibu City Council announced April 11 that May will be “One Book One City, Malibu” month. The monthlong event celebrates literacy with Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” on the 50th anniversary of its publication.
The celebration begins with a kick-off event April 30 at Malibu High School’s outdoor amphitheater, 30215 Morning View Dr., at 3 p.m. More information on this and other local “One Book One City” events can be obtained online at www.1b1c-bu.com.
Samohi students advance to state fair
Santa Monica High School students Zachary Gold, Winston Lee and Jesse Gomer placed second in the microbiology category at the Los Angeles County Science Fair, which took place at the Pasadena Convention Center April 14-16. The team of students, advised by marine biology teacher Benjamin Kay and sponsored by the Surfrider Foundation, submitted two and a half years of data on ocean water quality in the Santa Monica Bay. The students found that spikes in potentially harmful bacteria occur predominantly during wet weather and pose an elevated risk to beachgoers.
Junior Winston Lee was awarded an Earthwatch Institute Student Fellowship grant of $3,000 to travel to conduct research courtesy of Dr. Peter and Helen Bing. Teacher Benjamin Kay was awarded the Earth Month Teacher Hero grand prize of $5,000 by the Wyland Foundation, Toyota, KCAL/KCBS and AES. Kay was one of 30 Southern California teachers honored earlier this month for using creative ways to encourage students to work toward a more sustainable world.
Optimist Club to honor educators
The Malibu Optimist Club will honor six educators from Malibu schools at its fourth annual Excellence in Education breakfast April 28. The event, which is open to the public, will recognize Luke Sferra, a Malibu High School guidance counselor; Lynne Flowers, of the MHS special education/learning resource center; Kristina Cook, Webster Elementary School fifth grade teacher; Mary Tafi, Point Dume Marine Science School fourth and fifth grade teacher; Kathleen Ruse, Our Lady of Malibu School science resource coordinator, and Susan Baltrushes, Juan Cabrillo Elementary School fourth grade teacher.
For more information, call 310.456.3507.